Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to self-contained breathing apparatuses and systems that provide regulated gas, e.g., air or oxygen, from one or more tanks or cylinders to a user, and in particular to a tank attachment arrangement for facilitating the removable attachment of a tank or tanks to a back-plate assembly of a self-contained breathing apparatus.
Description of the Related Art
As is known in the art, a variety of activities, workplace functions, and emergency situations require additional safety measures and systems. In particular, such activities, functions, and situations include, without limitation, industrial or manufacturing activities, construction activities, firefighting and rescue activities, activities that pose a potential risk to the person or persons involved, contaminated environment situations, and even leisure activities (e.g., diving), and the like. Providing safety equipment to those involved in such activities and environments is required, and in certain situations such protection includes the required use of a self-contained breathing apparatus.
A self-contained breathing apparatus may take a variety of forms and configurations. In one typical configuration, the self-contained breathing apparatus includes a back-plate assembly with an attachment system, e.g., adjustable straps, a harness, and the like, on one side for removably attaching the back-plate assembly to the user. On the other side of the back-plate assembly, a tank attachment arrangement is provided, which facilitates the removable attachment of one or more tanks or cylinders, e.g., air tanks, oxygen tanks, and the like, to the assembly. In addition, a regulation system is attached to or integrated with the back-plate assembly and configured to deliver regulated gas from the tank to the user, typically to a mask worn by the user. In this manner, the user may operate effectively in hazardous or low- or no-oxygen environments and situations.
One such tank attachment arrangement is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,331,553, entitled “Bottle Support of Compressed-Air Bottles”, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. In the '553 patent, the tank attachment arrangement includes a bottle support (4) attached to a support frame (5), which is part of the back-plate assembly. The bottle support (4) includes multiple glide inserts (3) that project from the surface (9) of the bottle support (4). In operation, a bottle (1) is placed in the bottle support (4) and a tightening strap (6) is used to urge the bottle (1) against the glide inserts (3), which compress into the hollow spaces (10) to allow the bottle (1) to contact the surface (9). These glide inserts (3) (and the adjacent portions of the bottle support (4)) are resilient and, when the strap (6) is loosened, the glide inserts (3) protrude and slightly lift the bottle (1) and release it from the frictional forces of the bottle support (4). Accordingly, the bottle support (4) of the '553 patent provides for the positioning and removal of a tank or cylinder in a tank attachment arrangement of a self-contained breathing apparatus. However, there is room for further improvements in this area, particularly with respect to the ability to quickly and effectively attach and remove a tank to and from the back-plate assembly.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for improved tank attachment arrangements for use in connection with a self-contained breathing apparatus.